Editing Vodka (section)

===Flavoring===
{{Main|Flavored liquor}}
[[File:Polmos Białystok - Żubrówka.jpg|thumb|right|A vodka distillery in [[Bialystok]], Poland, where the bison grass vodka "[[Żubrówka]]" is produced]]
[[File:Finlandia_Classic_vodka.jpg|thumb|right|Finnish-grown six-row barley and glacial spring water, [[Finlandia Vodka]]]]
While most vodkas are unflavored, many flavored vodkas have been produced in traditional vodka-drinking areas, often as home-made recipes to improve vodka's taste or for medicinal purposes. Flavorings include red pepper, ginger, fruit flavors, vanilla, chocolate (without sweetener), and cinnamon. In Russia, vodka flavored with honey and pepper, ''pertsovka'' in Russian, is also very popular. In Poland and Belarus, the leaves of the local [[bison grass]] are added to produce ''[[żubrówka]]'' (Polish) and ''[[zubrovka]]'' (Belarusian) vodka, with slightly sweet flavors and light amber colors. In Lithuania and Poland, a famous vodka containing honey is called ''[[krupnik]]''.

This tradition of flavoring is also prevalent in the [[Nordic countries]], where vodka seasoned with herbs, fruits, and spices is the appropriate strong drink for several seasonal festivities. Sweden has forty-odd common varieties of herb-flavored vodka (''kryddat brännvin''). In Poland and Ukraine, a separate category ({{lang|uk|nalyvka}} in Ukraine and ''[[nalewka]]'' in Poland) is used for vodka-based spirits with fruit, root, flower, or herb extracts, which are often home-made or produced by small commercial distilleries. Their alcohol contents vary between 15 and 75%. In [[Estonia]], vodkas are available with barberry, blackcurrant, cherry, green apple, lemon, vanilla, and watermelon flavors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.therealculture.com/estonian-culture/estonian-vodka-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401100638/http://www.therealculture.com/estonian-culture/estonian-vodka-2/ |archive-date=1 April 2010|title=Estonian Vodka flavors|work=therealculture.com}}</ref>

In most cases, vodka flavoring comes from a post-distillation infusion of flavors. Through the fermentation process, grain mash is transformed into a neutral alcohol beverage that is unflavored. The process of flavoring vodka so that it tastes like fruits, chocolate, and other foods occurs after fermentation and distillation. Various chemicals that reproduce the flavor profiles of foods are added into vodka to give it a specific taste.